Goodbye left little toenail!!

Goodbye left little toenail!!

(All the way to) Santiago

Not the same Santiago as I walked to. If I could walk on water I'd still be going!

Jerusalem Tomorrow ?

A rather insipid version of Emmylou Harris' performance of David Olney's song but since hers isn't available on youtube I'm posting this one. Listen to Emmylou's when you get the chance. It's on her album Cowgirl's Prayer.

And did those feet ... ?

Yes they did! Well done chaps!

To Infinity ... and beyond!

Well, Finisterre (or Fisterra as they say in Galicia), The End of the World, actually. And by bus rather than walking. Ruth and I took the easy way yesterday and after three and a half hours from Santiago finally reached the town. Rain was torrential so we decided that the final 3km walk to the most westerly point to collect our shell was not on, and settled for a lunch of pulpo and navajas with a drop of red wine washed down with orujo to complete the job. Then another two and a half hours back to Santiago and shopping for souvenirs before a few montaditos in a nice bar and then settling down for the evening.

Dedications

I dedicate this walk from Granada to Santiago de Compostela to the following people.

Firstly, my Mum and Dad, who didn´t know what they had started when they named me Peregrine nearly 63 years ago.

Secondly, my partner, Ruth, who, after a tough last 12 months, has provided me with all the love and support I needed to carry this through to the end.

Thirdly, all my family, friends and colleagues who have generously donated to Cancer Research UK and in so doing have given me the encouragement I needed to fulfill the promise I made that I would reach my goal.

And last, but not least, all those who suffer from cancer. I hope that the money donated to this walk will make some difference to their future recovery and quality of life.

Previously ... on LOST ..

So far I have LOST:

1. My way 4 or 5 times.
2. My microfibre towel which was drying on the back of my rucksack - somewhere in a cork forest in Extremadura.
3. My prescription sunglasses on entering Bañeza on a wet afternoon.
4. Two little toenails.
5. My digital camera battery charger in the albergue in Palas Do Rei.
6. My Camino Virginity.
7.A ballpoint pen and two propelling pencils.
8. 10kg since I left Granada and 5 while I was training. Am now a v slim 90kg!

Not bad really for 50 days on the road.

Wet Wet Wet

Not much more to say really except that´s what Galicia is at the moment. It´s a shame as these are my last 2 or 3 days on the Camino and it´s too wet to get the camera out to take any pictures. Hopefully the weather will clear tomorrow but I´m not holding my breath!

Currently in Arzua with only 31.5km to go.

My feet now fit my boots

Bye bye right little toenail. At last the accommodation of Peregrine Rees and Made in China is accomplished. However the shinsplints seem to have made a reappearance. As I have only 5 sleeps to go I will take whatever medication it needs to relieve the pain and get to Santiago on schedule. I doubt The Pope has such a problem and is probably going to have a slap up do in Santiago today with all his bishop pals. Probably hasn´t done much walking since he was in the Hitler Youth.

I had a great lunch today - Octopus, Wine, Aguardiente at a local maket here in Sarria (115km to go). Tomorrow Portomarin which is about 20km so will be down to double figures

Go West Young Man

Did 20.5km today from Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo. The Camino Frances is much more commercial than the Via de la Plata with even the smallest villages with virtually no permanent inhabitants having at least a couple of bars and albergues to relieve the pilgrims of their money. I was stopped twice on the road today by drivers in their 4x4s handing out fliers advertising their facilities. These are the modern day versions of the footpads and cutpurses that plagued the pilgrims in the middle ages.
Tomorrow another 20km or so before the big climb up O Cebreiro the following day.

Hi I´m Gloria, I´m from N. Carolina.

I am on the Camino Frances now and life for the peregrino is very different. I now have to share the dorm with at least 18 other people and there are all sorts from all over the world. Kind of nice in a way having been alone for most of the walk so far but I had been getting used to my solitude.

Gloria, is from N. Carolina and this is her 2nd Camino Frances. She has also walked The Appalachian Trail (2000 miles) in 2002 which took her 7 months.

There are also a surprising number of S. Koreans too and last night in the albergue in Foncebadon they treated us to a little cabaret singing old John Denver songs in that high-pitched, squeaky voice that Koreans do so well.

Tomorrow only 20km to Villafranco del Bierzo and then the day after that we tackle O Cebreiro which is a pretty steep climb of 700m in about 7km.

Over and out.

Virus Warning!!

Amazingly, I have only met 2 other people (a Spanish couple) who are on their first Camino. Most of the other folks I bump into on The Way are on at least their 3rd or 4th Camino, and some have done 8 or 9. A couple of days ago I met an ex-Swiss Army man, Jean-Francois, 74 years of age, who was walking the Via de la Plata in the reverse direction from Santiago to Seville (all in 1 go) carrying a backpack weighing 13kg. He had also walked from Geneva to Rome and Geneva to Jerusalem in the past since he retired.

It seems that once people do one Camino it gets into their blood and they have to do more and more. I hope I´m immune to the virus as I can´t imagine spending my life on the road like some do. Although once you have developed the fitness and capability to do something like this I can see that it´s hard to go back to being less active.

I have just reached Alija del Infantado in the Province of Leon and am 324km away from Santiago. That´s about 2 weeks´walking for me. Tomorrow La Bañeza and Astorga on Sunday where I join the Camino Frances and should have more walking company.

Krumble joined me in Salamanca and managed two 30-plus km days before retired hurt in Zamora. Both of us disappointed but it was the right decision. The Camino will still be there when he decides to return.

Sadly, Chris won´t be able to meet me in Astorga for the last leg so I will be alone for the final push.

Body still holding up.

More when I get internet access again.

Update 22 October 2010

Just arrived in Salamanca with just about 700km covered and another 500 to go. More or less on schedule. Should have passed through today but am staying with Elena tonight and meeting up with Krumble tomorrow who will be walking with me for the next week.

Shin splints and toes are all OK now and I have settled to a comfortable pace which is about 3.5km per hour including stops for food, taking pics etc.

The drip that was the Camino Mozarabe between Granada and Merida (ie me) has now turned into a trickle along the Via de la Plata between Merida and Astorga before it becomes a torrent on the Camino Frances. Am meeting more pilgrims and there are more good and cheap albergues on this route. Have walked the last 4 days from Canaveral with Petra, a German girl, who is going to work as a hospitalera in the albergue Javier in Astorga.

Too many rivers to cross ...

Well I´ve crossed a few since I started. Some I´ve forded and others by bridge. There was the possibility of wading/swimming some but I chickened out and took an easier option. Just crossed a 14th C bridge leading to Canaveral where I am staying as the only person again (gratis/donation) in a peregrino albergue. Pretty basic with cold showers but the hostal/bar next door does a good menu del dia and I have just feasted on rice, rabbit, flan and a coffee and anis or two. Free internet access for peregrinos.

The interesting thing about being on the road for such a long time is that one forgets where one was last and where one is next to be. Not to mention where one is at the present time. I am keeping a written journal so I can sequence everything when it´s all over. Apologies to those of you who are reading this but I do promise that I will produce a coherent journal (with pictures) of the whole event. Meanwhile, stream of consciousness prevails. Backwards and forwards in time, that is.

Tomorrow 30km to Galisteo.

And so to bed.

517km Down 663.6 to go. 1 day behind schedule

Shin splints and wonky little toes have made me slow down and take a day´s rest where none was planned. At least it was in Caceres which made it worth while. Never been there before and it is a delight. The old walled city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. If you´ve never been I suggest you do a tour of Caceres and Merida which has the finest Roman remains in Spain and they are only 80km apart.

I have a day´s rest scheduled for tomorrow which I won´t take and will do the short walk of 15km to Cañaveral which will put me back on track. Then 30km to Galisteo on Sunday.

In the last week I have attended 2 Masses which is 2 more than I have ever been to before (not counting C of E Communion) - and they couldn´t have been more different. The first was in Don Benito in the Iglesia de Santiago where they were celebrating something to do with the Virgin Mary. Almost all the congregation were females of a certain age each sporting that familiar hairstlye I call the "Spanish Helmet". And the church was packed. The second was in a residence for handicapped men run by Los Hermanos Esclavos de Maria y Los Pobres which has about 5 monks, a few volunteers and some 60-70 severely handicapped men. The congrgation here was exclusively male (of course) and the handful of people present (including the acolyte) were all in a very bad way. Everything the brothers do for these people is paid for from donations. I and a few other peregrinos were staying in the albergue they run which provides free bed, breakfast and evening meal.

Having walked 33km from Caceres to the Embalse de Alcantara, tonight I am the only resident in an albergue turistico run by the Junta de Extremadura on the shores of that very pretty lake. Bed, breakfast, evening meal and 3 beers for only 23EUR!.

Update Tuesday 5th October

Yes, I got yesterday´s date wrong! I was 3 days ahead of schedule though, despite my inability to read a calendar.

I am taking today as a rest day because:

1. I want to give my left little toe a rest.
2. I have gut rot. (May be it was the lentil soup yesterday).
3. Manolo the architect has sent me the contract for the house extension and I have to print, sign and send it back, as well as transfer some money on account for the first piece of his work.
4. I need to find somewhere to stay tomorrow night in Campanario. I have the numbers of a lady who takes in peregrinos and an albergue with 4 beds so with any luck I won´t be sleeping in the fields tomorrow night.

After today I will only be 2 days ahead but hopefully in better shape.

Update Monday 03 October

Today I walked 18km from Monterrubio de la Serena to Castuera. Since Hinojosa del Duque (the stopbefore Monterrubio) I have moved outof Andalucia and am now in Extremadura, in Badajoz Province to be exact. Olive trees as far as the eye can see have given way to gently rolling hills with evergreen oak everywhere along with fields strewn with enormous boulders smoothed by the glacial action of the last (presumably) ice age. Everything seems much greener and more pastoral here with herds of cattleandflocks of sheep.

So far I have covered over 25% of the distance to Santiago and am 3 days ahead of schedule although this will change over the next day or two as I convert a long 36km day into 2 shorter ones to give the little toe on the left foot a bit of a rest. Both little toes have played up since I started the walk which is surprising given the amount of training I did before I started. Little right toe seems to be getting better but maybe that just means less painful and the fact that I can´t limp with both legs at the same time!

This part of the Camino, from Granada to Merida, has been pretty lonely and I have only met 2 other pereginos - both cyclists - and both only doing a part of the way as far as Plasencia. I did have the company of a Spaniard (Rafa) between Cordoba and Cerro Muriano. as he was using that stretch as training for doing the Ourense - Santiago route next spring. Apart from that I have had a few buen viajes from people I have passed in the street as I´ve gone through villages and a toot or two from passing motorists. Also the very big dogs on chains (or not) on farms I pass seem very pleased to see me and appear to know I´m coming from along way off.

Tomorrow it´s 21km to Campanario. This should be interesting as the guide seems a bit uncertain whether there is any accommodation there and the fact I have to ford a river which is deeper (allegedly) than the 3 or 4 I have forded so far. There was torrential rain last night in Monterrubio although today has been fair. It looks like autumn is drawing in and some parts of Spain are on flood alert if the forecast rain makes another appearance. I hope it waits until after I cross the river!

Finding places with decent internet access has proved difficult which is why this blog isn´t updated as frequently as I would like. Also,hostals which say they have WiFi have such weak signals that I often fail to make a connection from the smartphone.

Sorry about the lack of pictures but they are all on my camera and I forgot to bring the USB cable with me to upload them!! Something to look forward to.

Until the next time.

Status Update - 26 Sep 2010

In Baena after 27km walk from Alcaudete.

This morning, after reading the guidebook which said that this section was badly waymarked because farmers plough all the pathways up, I decided to walk to Baena along the main road (N432) and not try to follow the Camino. This because it was a longish run and I didn´t fancy getting lost and wasting all my time wandering aimlessly around olive groves looking for non-existent yellow arrows (which I have already done twice so far) and also because the little toe on my right foot, which showed no problems when I was training (on roads mostly), has now become painful and bleeds a bit. I am overcoming this by airing my feet every 2 hours or so and changing to dry socks and putting a new dressing on. It seems to be doing the trick. TMI? Walk was boring apart from super views back to Alcaudete and of Luque Castle and the old Olive Oil Train at the Estacion de Luque. Walking was much faster than on the Camino even though I did head down the N432 the wrong way at the start!![More details and pictures on this section when I have more time].

Status

Today, Saturday 25 Sep I am in Alcaudete, 1 day ahead of schedule.

Saturday 25 September

Left Granada on Thursday morning with the intention of walking the 18km to Pinos Puente and spending the night there. as I arrived at lunchtime and did not want to waste the rest of the day I decided to walk another 14km to Moclin. that's when things starte to go wrong. First I got lost and couldn't find the yellow arrows waymarking the route. then it started to rain. Fortunately I found the arrrows again and made my way to Olivares only 2km from Moclin. what the guide book did not say was that these last 2km aree almost vertical and it took nealy 2h to cover them in the rain. Fortunately I found a room in a casa rural in the village and after a shower slept for 12h. [more detail and pics to follow]

And They're Off ... !!

Just about to turn everything off, have a shower and walk into Talara to catch the bus to Granada.

Things haven't started too well though. I called the Convent in Granada to check they had a bed available for tonight but they said they don't put people up so I've booked into a hostal in Granada, close to the cathedral.

Having had that experience I thought I'd better call a few more places en route and have found nothing available in Alcala La Real as the town is en feria this weekend. There is a Roof and Floor in the Church so that looks like the only possibility.

Pilgrim Passport

This is the Credencial de Peregrino (Pilgrim Passport) that was issued to me by the Amigos del Camino in Granada. It confers on me the official status of pilgrim to Santiago. Every place I stop for the night along the way I have to get a sello (stamp) from a church, town hall, police station, tourist office or hotel which is signed and dated to prove I passed that way. When I get to Santiago I will present it for scrutiny to the cathedral officials who will then give me a compostela which is the certificate to prove I completed the pilgrimage.

The End of the Walk

Ruth and me practising for celebrating the end of The Walk in the Galician restaurant in Torremolinos last Saturday night. We started with Pimientos de Padron and then had Chipirrones en su Tinta con Arroz (squid in their own ink with rice) for the main course. Ruth had an almond cake and cream for dessert (Can't remember what it was called in Spanish) and I had Queso de Tetilla (little titty cheese) with Membrillo. Then a little brandy was drunk with the coffee. OK, 2 glasses.

From what we saw of the Chinese contingent and other diners the Chuleton de Buey looks very good! Maybe next time. Or maybe when we get to Galicia!

Road Runner

Mark Knopfler The Long Road. Guitar played by Gaz

James Taylor - That Lonesome Road

Talking Heads - "Road To Nowhere"

He Who Would Valiant Be

Sir Harry Lauder 'Keep Right On To The End Of The Road' 1926

Dionne Warwick - Walk On By (Stereo)

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking (1966)

Your Donations to Cancer Research UK

On 13th July this year I opened a Just Giving Account to receive donations to Cancer Research UK in support of my walk from Granada to Santiago de Compostela.

To date I have received GBP1,610 in donations with pledges of another GBP350 or so, putting me well in reach of my revised target of GBP2,000.

I must say I have been overwhelmed and surprised by the response and generosity to this appeal which has come from all sorts of people: family, new and old friends, past colleagues, fellow students from school and university and from some whom I have only met in cyberspace. And from various nationalities too: Thai, Welsh, Indian, Peruvian, American, English, Israeli, Lebanese, Scots, Filipino, French, Latvian and Czech.

Although I have thanked you all personally for your individual donations I wanted to say here a big THANKYOU to you collectively. I know many of you make regular payments to other charities so I see your contributions to this appeal as personal support to me in undertaking the walk to Santiago.

Once again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Perry

Canned Heat - On The Road Again

Beatles - The Long And Winding Road 1970

Twitter

You can also follow my progress on Twitter. My Twitter address is at the top left of the blog front page under the header. It is @prees2401.

My tweets will not be available publicly but you can apply for me to give you access.

Equipment

1200km is a long way; and since your feet are the things that get you there you have to take good care of them, both when you´re training and on the Camino itself. This means choosing the right footwear, knowing about footcare, what causes blisters, how to avoid them and how to treat them if you get them as well as making sure that the weight you carry is as light as possible without compromising your comfort, safety and health along the way.

As you can imagine I´ve checked a lot of websites and read a fair number of books on The Camino itself as well as distance walking in general and I´ve come up with a list of equipment and clothing to wear as well as to take along in or attached to my rucsack.

Here are pictures of my stuff with some explanations of what they are and why I chose them.

The rucsack is a Berghaus `[model] 65 + 10 litre which, when fully packed, weighs 10 -11 kg. It has a built-in waterproof cover and a metal frame which rests on the hips and, with the chest strap across the sternum the weight is well taken with minimum strain on the arms, shoulders and back.

I have two sets of footwear: Qechua walking sandals from Decathlon which double as my non-walking shoes but are very good for level, smooth surface walking and very comfortable offering plenty of ventilation; and Qechua lightweight boots which provide plenty of ankle support and are best suited for uneven terrain in with lots of uphill and downhill.

The contents of the rucsack are as follows:

• Spare (long) trousers
• Spare (longsleeve) shirt
• Spare walking socks (3 pairs)
  
• Clean underpants (1 pair)
• Spare lycra training shorts
  
• Silk longjohns
• Silk undershirt
• Thermal polartec gloves
• Polartec Karrimor Fleece
• Sigg 1 litre aluminium waterbottle with Source drinking tube attachment.
• Spare Interlaken 1 litre aluminium waterbottle
  
• 3-season Ultimate sleeping bag
• Plastic poncho
• 
  
• 
  

Fun on the Camino - These Peregrinos rock!!

Sunday Telegraph Article on The Camino

My brother-in-law, Eric, sent me this article. not sure if you will be able to read it unless your browser can zoom in on the pictures. Update: yes you can. Just single left click with the mouse and the picture comes up with a magnifier.

Eating the Elephant a Bit at a Time

Today I am walking a total of 4 hours = 20km but this time in 3 separate outings of 1h20m each. So far I've done 2 - the first setting off at 06:30 and the second at 13:00. What a difference breaking the walking into short sections makes! No tired feet or aching limbs. Next one is in an hour's time at 19:00 and let's see if I feel the same way. If so, this could be the strategy for the whole walk.

Yep, number 3 was good too so this looks like it will be the game plan, other variables permitting (weather, shelter, shade, interesting things to see etc).

Tomorrow 2h40min = 13.3km.

PS Bruised toe seems OK.

Back on the road



Back to training after a day's rest. Left the house in Chite at 06:30 and walked on the road round the Embalse de Beznar via Melegis, Restabal, Pinos del Valle, across the dam, up to Beznar, then on to Talara and back to Chite at 10:25. Total distance covered 19.6km at an average speed of 5.0km/h, a bit slower than Friday when I did the same walk the other way round. This could have been because I had added a few more things to the rucsack and also washed the sleeping bag yesterday so it may still have been a little damp and therefore heavier.

Sleeping bag has been put out to air so hope it's lighter tomorrow. Just noticed I have a bruised 2nd toe on my right foot. Don't think it's the walking. Maybe I stubbed it.

Tomorrow 3 walks of 1h20m each. One will have to be in the heat of the day (about 1 pm) which I'm not looking forward to. Will have to work aout a route which has a downhill return leg!


Charity

Today is a day off from training and it's great not to have to get up and go out in the dark at 06:30 for a 3-4 hour walk. Back to the grind tomorrow though.

Apart from the "spiritual" experience one is supposed to have, and the weight I expect to lose I am also using the walk to collect money for the charity "Cancer Research UK".

If you would like to support me in this and make a donation you can do so online by using your credit or debit card at this link ...

http://www.justgiving.com/Perry-Rees

Thanks in anticipation for your generosity.

Training

I've been in training for the 1,200km walk from Granada to Santiago de Compostela for 9 weeks now. I started off walking 5 days a week and having 2 days off but recently upped the frequency with 3 days walking followed by 1 day off. The number of hours and number of walks each day varies with not more than 3 walks a day. So far I am up to 4 hours a day and am walking at a pace of 5.1 km per hour with a backpack weighing 9-10kg. My target at the end of training is to reach 6 hours walking with the backpack. My plan for the walk itself shows I will exceed this on some days (38km max) and will be walking 6 days a week with 1 day's rest but I hope I will be fit enough to handle those occasions when it is needed.

I will leave home here in Chite, Granada, for Granada Capital on 22nd September 2010 and plan to reach Santiago on 11 November.